Overview

Grade Level: 4th grade
Subject Area: All
Number of Students (average): 26
Years of Teaching: 3

Description

Answer the following questions as if you were giving advice to a student teacher.

How would I introduce a discussion of my approach to instructional design?			When designing a unit, I think the most important thing to do is think about the students in your classroom. What might be your challenges? What are your strengths? Think about previous lessons and decide what aspects of those were successful and which aspects might need improving for your particular group of students. Also take into consideration the interests of your students.
What are my resources for designing units and lessons?			Other teachers and staff members (especially CPTs - Collaborative Peer Teachers) Textbooks Internet Parents
What do I generally do first?			After making sure that I know the standard inside and out, the first thing I do is talk to other teachers and staff members. They are often a wealth of knowledge and advice. Many teachers are willing to share their own materials, which I may not have had access to otherwise. They can also point me to other resources that I may not have known about.
How do I interact with the standards?			The standards should been seen as the core of your lessons. Units should be designed around the standard that you want your students to understand. It is also a good idea to look for other standards that could also be taught under the same unit. I am a strong believer in teaching multiple standards.
What are my constraints and how do I respond to them?			Time is a huge constraint when creating units. I feel that making units cross curricular is a good way to make the best use of your time. For example, if you are creating a social studies or science unit, reading is an easy subject to incorporate into it. Math and science also can go hand in hand.
How do I approach student assessment?			I believe it is important to constantly assess students. This does not mean giving them a written test everyday. Assessing can be as simple as a class discussion after a lesson. Of course, I also believe that there needs to be a pre and post assessment. Pre-tests are very important because it gives you an idea of the level of your students.
How do I approach post-assessment?			I see post assessments as a way to measure both student learning and my own teaching. It is important to look at individual questions on post tests when grading them. If many students are missing the same questions, that is my cue to re-teach that concept.
How do I approach self-assessment?			As mentioned, I self-assess my teaching by looking closely at my student's growth. Their level of understanding tells me if I have been successful at teaching them the standard I am focusing on.
What are areas I would like to learn more about and/or become better at?			I would like become better at including technology into my units. In the past, I have used power point and united streaming, but felt limited with only those two resources. After taking digital storytelling, I feel more confident and more knowledgeable about the technology that I have access to.
What final advice would I give about my approach to instructional design?			Keep in mind that units are not set in stone. They can be modified as a teacher sees fit. Be flexible with your time and planning because there are many variables that could alter your original plans. And there is nothing wrong with that! If a change would be beneficial to your students learning, by all means, make that change.